Why Live In Roanoke & Smith Mountain Lake?

Roanoke Named #3 Best Affordable Place to Live

Roanoke has earned a spot on another Top 10 list for its outstanding quality of life! Roanoke is ranked #3 on the new list of 2018 Best Affordable Places to Live published by Livability. The list was compiled based on a review of over 2000 cities around the country and selected based on a combination of cost of living, entertainment, median income, economy, healthcare and amenities.

Livability cites the area’s temperate climate, over 600 miles of trails, opportunities for outdoor recreation, cultural offerings like the Taubman Museum of Art and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and an affordable cost of living.

Roanoke was the only Virginia city to make this Top 10 list.

Roanoke Named All-America City

For the seventh time, Roanoke received an All-America City award from the National Civic League. Roanoke is the only city in the nation to win the award seven times.

Roanoke and 15 other localities were recognized for efforts to improve early literacy among children from low-income families. Roanoke’s”Star City Reads” plan is a partnership among city government, city schools and other community organizations such as the Roanoke Symphony.

Roanoke County: 2017 Top 10 Mid-Sized Community

Roanoke County received the designation as a top 10 mid-sized community in the nation for 2017 through the Fourth Economy Community Index.

Roanoke County was cited especially for its vibrant outdoor recreation economy, short commute times to work, strong average wages, housing and transportation affordability and healthy talent base. Roanoke County’s ranking was based on an analysis of 19 different categories. Harrisonburg was also cited in the top 10 list of mid-sized communities.

Roanoke Region Offers Lowest Cost of Living in VA

When it comes to cost of living, Roanoke offers the best value of any metro in Virginia! Cost of living information is an important tool for individuals and businesses. It provides a baseline comparison for how far a dollar will go. And in the Roanoke Region, your dollar stretches further.

Annual numbers released by the Council for Community Economic Research for 2016 rank the Roanoke metro area as the 55th lowest cost metro in the nation with costs lower than 80 percent of participating metros. With an index of 89.1, costs in Roanoke are lower than the national average of 100.

The numbers put Roanoke well below the national average for costs and ahead of similarly sized metro markets in the South such as Richmond (94.3), Asheville (95.6) and Chattanooga (95.7). New York City ranked highest in cost of living with an index of 227.8.

The Cost of Living Index measures regional differences in the cost of housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services.